Falcons and Stallions
by eclect
Summary: ON HIATUS Riza Falconwing runs a small inn on the outskirts of Berlin. Roy Stallion is forced on holiday by his commander. Where does he end up staying on a rainy night? AU ROYAI
1. Rain falls from the sky, but do men?

**Hey Guys!!! Lani here, this is a Royai fic even if it doesn't look like one. I want to make it at least 8 chaps, but I really don't know. I'm not very good at writing angsty/drama type stuff, so wish me luck. Oh yeah, and if you haven't already, go and read my "I-wrote-this-to-get-over-block" story, ****President of Amestris**

**A/N: I dunno when this is set, so just use your imagination. It's this side of the gate, and at least a couple generations after the movie. That reminds me, I have to watch it again…sry, now the moment you've all been waiting for:**

**Disclaimer: I do not own FMA, the world, or anything like that. I do own my OCs, the Inn, and the plot of this story!!! Muhahaha! Hmph…**

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Riza Falconwing was just an ordinary woman. She wasn't married, didn't really do dates, but wasn't at all lonely. Her small Siberian Husky, Hayate, was her shadow. Riza ran a small inn on the outskirts of Berlin. Her father had been a General in the military, but had retired when his wife had been diagnosed with Heart Cancer. When Riza's mother had died, Riza was barely eight years old.

The General was stricken with grief, and devoted himself to his work. When a skirmish erupted near the border of the country, the General Falconwing was killed defending his soldiers. At the age of 15, Riza was an orphan responsible for the house and business, the inn her mother had run in their home. Riza finished her schooling, and even though she was fascinated by science, especially the concept of fire, she became the mistress of then inn. She liked her life, not too busy, but it could be quite bland at times. That would change.

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Roy Stallion was clamied to be one of the handsomest men in the military. Woman would swoon when he walked down the corridor to his office. His not-caring attitude would, instead of pushing them away, draw them closer, more fascination. He never really had, or even wanted a serious relationship. He knew he would know when he was ready.

When he was teen, a skirmish erupted just outside his hometown. The sight of the military filing past his house in their uniforms, buttons shining, rifles polished, stance straight, he knew that he wanted to be one of them.

After the fight, he saw the blood. Men who had previously stood straight now hunched over, carrying the corpses of their fallen comrades over their shoulders. The shining rifles now were dusty, mangled where they had been stepped on. The boys who had arrived, ready for their first glimpse of the action, now sat in the summer dust, letting it settle, as men who had been to hell and back. Roy saw all these things, and asked himself what kind of world he lived in. from the summer of his 16th, he became sure of his purpose. That autumn, he packed his bags and left for Central-A, the military training camp.

Roy graduated at the top of his class from the Military Academy. He was skilled in every form of fighting, from Martial Arts to piloting airplanes and armored vehicles. Everyone in the Academy could say that his element was Firearms. He mastered any and every gun and rifle in the Central-A storehouse. Roy received many an award for marksmanship and skill with his trusty handguns he kept with him at all times.

When he was out of the academy, he gathered a group of his best friends to team up with and rise through the ranks. Martin Hughes, Jene Havoc, Josie Havoc, Veronica Falman, Horatio (Her-aye-she-o) Feny, and Hymens Leitta stood by him from the moment they graduated from the Academy. Because of his talent, Roy was promoted and became the official leader of his little group. All of his subordinates looked up to him. He treated every person with respect, weather they be Private or a General. As promised, they all stuck together. That is, until one day. (a/n: uhg…I hate this paragrah)

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Roy Stallion was summoned to the office of his commander, Lieutenant General Bower.

"Lieutenant General." Roy saluted.

"At ease." Bower replied surly. "Now, Colonel Stallion, as you should know, every year, every soldier is allowed a total of 5 weeks of Personal Holidays and Sick days. You haven't been taking advantage of this privilige. You have 13 weeks, nearly two and a half year's worth, banked."

"I…uh, never had any need to use it, sir."

"_You_ may have not, but some of your subordinates are worried. You seem quite tense. Now, I want you to use up those weeks before you come back to work." Bower had a mischievous glint in his dark eyes that made his fair complexion seem even paler than usual.

Roy racked his brain for some sort of comeback, but to no avail. He nodded, defeated, then saluted again to Bower. The General saluted back and watched Roy retreat out the door to the office.

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"Okay, now which one of you sold me out?" demanded Roy as he walked into the room he called 'HQ'. His Subordinated all looked up sheepishly. "All of you?" they all nodded, nervous grins still in place, except for Hughes, of course. He went into a dramatic pose and started ranting on that the others had "pressured him into it and he would never do it if it upset his perfect and utterly gorgeous family" then proceeded in shoving the pictures in his wallet of his wife and son under the noses of anyone within arms reach.

Roy sighed and flopped back into his seat. He diligently started on the piles of paperwork set on his desk in front of him. Jene Havoc strode up to his area of the office, lugging up another pile of papers to be signed.

"Hey, look, chief," Jene spoke through the ever-present smoke hanging out of his mouth, "You really need to get outta' here. You really aren't the same guy you were when we were in school. About your vacation, I was thinking-" he was cut off by a loud squeal from Heymans Lettia because Horatio Feny had snuck in his pet rat in again. Jene left to clear up the squabble between the two.

After they had finished their work, each person left, one by one. Soon, only Roy was left.

He sighed loudly and set the last batch of papers into the OUT box. He gathered his stuff and shrugged on his coat. As he walked out the office, He couln't help but glance back. "see ya' in a coupla' weeks…"

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"Riza, you are in desperate need of a boyfriend." Maria Robertson said in a very serious tone, while Winry Stoner and Gracia Lee both nodded solemnly. Cathrine Armstrong also implied and affirmative. Riza's friends would come over every Saturday night and have a 'Girls night in" at one of their houses. This week, it was Riza's turn.

Sheska Smith countered, "Maria, we all know you're getting married," Maria blushed crimson, "But look at me and Cathrine! We don't have boyfriends and we're just fine."

"It's true you don't have a boyfriend," Winry piped up, "but we all know you looking; Riza's not even trying."

Riza exasperated sigh silenced the bickering women. Gracia and Sheska drifted into a conversation about a book they had both just finished reading while the others started uncovering their pot-lick feast.

As Winry reached over to spoon some mashed potatoes onto her plate, a flash of light on her finger almost sent Gracia into spasms. She squawked and grabbed Winry's hand. "When?" she demanded, and all the women looked he way, to Winry's hand, and back again. Winry blushed crimson and Maria started jumping up and down in delight.

"He proposed yesterday…" Winry mumbled, still the color of an over-ripe tomato.

Cathrine and Sheska squeezed Winry until her eyes bulged. Riza also offered he congratulations and hug. Winry had been dating a sweet doctor by the name of Edward Elerick for over a year. Anyone could see that they shared a special bond. He had somewhat of a height complex, and the two would get in fights, most resulting in Edward receiving a whack over the head from Winry's trusty wrench (A/n: not everything can change!).

"You and Ed were positively MADE for each other!" Maria squealed, still hopping on the spot. When the commotion settled down, Gracia returned to the "Chosen topic of the Night".

"See, Riza, now three of us are either engaged or married. I'm sure those two," she gestured toward Cathrine and Sheska, "Will find _their_ men sooner than they think…I bet yours will just fall out of the sky…"

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Roy's train to berlin had been delayed a whole hour, so he arrived just as dusk was falling. After hours of searching for a room, he literally ran into a familiar young woman. "Jennifer?" he inquired.

"Roy?"

"Jennifer! I haven't see you in the longest time!" Jennifer was one of Roy's exes from his 'playboy' days at the Academy. "How are you?"

"Eh…fine…So, what are you doing here?"

"Just looking for a place to stay." Roy smiled. At that moment, there was a loud clap of thunder and the heavy grey clouds unleashed angry torrents of rain onto the crowds below. Roy and Jennifer scurried to shelter under a nearby bus stop. "Everywhere I've checked so far has been full."

"I know a great little inn nearby. It's run by one of my friends and is almost never full." Jennifer had to shout over the roar of rain hitting pavement.

"Lead the way…"

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The doorbell rang just as Gracia, the last to leave, had run through the rain and driven off in her car. Riza finished washing her hands and quickly wiped them off on a spare dishtowel.

She opened the door and started when a flash of lightning illuminated a dark figure in the step in front of her. The figure raised it's head and shot Riza a smile that made her slightly week at the knees.

Extending a hand, "The name's Roy Stallion…"

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**Time for Author's notes!!!!**

**OCC anyone? NOPE!!!! Remember, these are OCs! Hehe, tricked ya'!!! This chapter sucks and I have rewritten it at least twice, so please don't kill me! Please review and tell me what you think. Keep Flames to a minimum. If I get enough "good job" reviews or something like that, I will update faster. Now, I just have to start writing RRRRRRIIIINNNNNNGGGGG oh, wait, lunch break! RAMEN AND MILK!!! YEAH! (eat that, ed)**


	2. A companion

**Huh…I thought I had uploaded this chapter….that's why it wasn't up….**

**Disclaimer: Yeah…I'm Hiromu Arakawa and am neglecting the latest chapters of the Fullmetal Alchemist manga to write Fanfictions which I could easily just make filler chapters and the like…(dripping with sarcasm)**

**Enjoy(or not)**

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"….Stallion?" Riza blinked, caught off-guard.

"Yeah…" An awkward silence fell, only penetrated by the 'pitter-patter' of rain outside. Roy glanced at his waiting hand and slowly lowered it.

He was handsome, Riza noted, that could be said for certain. His one onyx eye that wasn't covered was deep and wise, but still sparkling with laughter and youth. Dark hair, the same shade as his eyes, framed his lightly tanned face.

A small cough from Roy snapped Riza from her stupor. She started and realized that he was still standing out on the step. "Oh my God, I'm so sorry, come on in…" Roy stepped into the hall, being careful not to drip on the carpet. "Personally, I feel useless in the rain……Riza Falconwing." She stated, sticking out her hand just as Roy had done moments before. He shook it slowly, taking in her appearance.

Riza had mid-length hair and a side-fringe, and dark lashes framed calm, in-control amber eyes. Her skin was flawless, mouth straight and business-like.

"I'm looking for a place to stay," he said, "Just for a little while, until I can find a more permanent place."

"Sure, I just cleaned up one of the rooms upstairs. Do you have any other bags?"

Roy looked down at his small duffel and shook his head. They headed upstairs and headed into the first door to the right.

"This," Riza gesturing to the room, "Is yours. We can discuss the rent in the morning. Good night, Mr. Stallion."

"Please, it's Roy."

After Riza had left, he turned to survey the room. It was well furnished for an inn; in the far corner was a double bed with a generic blue duvet. Next to it was a small lamp situated on an antique end table and in the corner adjacent was a well-used-looking chest of drawers. Also in the room was a desk, a recliner, and a floor lamp. _Cozy_, Roy murmured to himself. He set his bag down and flopped onto his bed, exhausted from today's activities. He needed rest.

Riza could hear the first of Roy's snores as she started down the stairs. She smiled, and headed down the stairs.

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_That night, Riza had one of the most peaceful slumbers in a long time. At first, she dreamt that she was crying. She wasn't one to cry often, and only at the most drastic of times. In her dream, she didn't know why she was crying, and that thought unsettled her. _

_She was immediately comforted when a pair of strong arms wrapped themselves around her in a warm embrace. After the arms came a well-toned body, heartbeat slow and steady, and a chest the perfect level for her to lean into. She grabbed the front of the man's shirt and sobbed into it harder then she thought possible. She still had no idea why she was so sad._

_When she felt that she had let it all out, she sniffled and wiped her eyes. She laid her head gently against his chest, her breathing in tune with his, and sighed. Her sudden curiosity about who this man was wasn't able to overcome her exhaustion. She tried to summon the energy to look up at his face, but instead fell asleep in his arms._

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The next morning Riza was serving breakfast in the main dining room. Roy wasn't the only tenant in Falconwing's; Dante Bonciani and John Kimbley also held rooms there. Dante was scarfing down her scrambled eggs when Roy entered, following the scent of breakfast. Roy introduced himself to the pale-skinned, dark-haired young woman, who barely acknowledged his presence when he tried to make idle conversation. Roy dug into the plate of succulent eggs Riza placed before him, glad for the food to fill the awkward silence.

Soon after, Roy headed out for a stroll around the town.

On a sign in the square were proclaimed the words: Birmingham, The Perfect Place. He spent the day roaming around, checking out the displays in store windows but very rarely going inside. He stopped into a small museum near the center of the shopping district that had a large poster of a rifle and some small handguns displayed out front. When he was walking through the exhibit, he had the weirdest feeling that he had seen some of the weapons before, but had no idea where.

As twilight fell, Roy decided that it was just about time for him to head back to the inn. As he strolled down the Main street towards the outskirts of Birmingham, he glimpsed a semi-familiar blond head duck out of the supermarket. Arms laden with bags, Riza didn't notice she had stepped off of the sidewalk until it was too late. She yelped as her fresh groceries spilled to the ground, rolling (or if not round, sliding) in all different directions.

Roy scuttled over to help his new landlady, who didn't notice his presence until the both reached for one of the unfortunate tomatoes at the same time. She blushed and pulled her hand out from underneath his, bringing the scarlet fruit with it. "Thank you, Roy." She said simply, reaching for the bags Roy had successfully re-filled.

"Uh, uh, uh!" Roy said, clicking his tongue, "I'm carrying these. Don't want you to take another tumble like that, eh?"

Riza pouted, then gave up, allowing a triumphant smirk to become visible on the dark-haired man's face.

They walked on in a comfortable silence, broken only by the odd comment about a certain star and the sound of the city bunking down for the night. Soon enough they were approaching their destination. Roy suddenly felt bold and asked, "Riza, why do you own an Inn?"

She snapped out of her thoughts and answered promptly, "Because it's all I have left of my family." Riza wondered to herself why she had told him this; it was the truth, but to anyone else who had asked, she would give different reasons: she was watching over it for a friend, she had always wanted to, other simple reasons. To balance it out, she shot back, "What do you do?"

"I'm in the military. You're talking to Colonel Roy Stallion." he boasted pompously, "And before you ask, I joined the military because saw things. Terrible things. I didn't want to see them again, but I knew I had to. I want to change things. The whole country. And that man inspired me…" Roy trailed off, all traces of his self-confident tone long-gone.

As they climbed up the stairs, they were greeted by Hayate's cheerful bark. The Colonel helped the blond sort out her groceries, then bid her good night and headed up to bed.

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As he lay on his bed, Roy mulled over his day. His day in town had been interesting; the museum he would have to see again. Talking with Riza was…he didn't know how to describe it. The silence hadn't been awkward; in fact, it had been companionable, as if they were long-time friends happy with just the other's presence. Still thinking about their encounter, Roy drifted off to sleep.

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Riza silently pondered her new tenant's words. What could he have seen? What made him seem so dedicated to changing the country? He mentioned a man…one who inspired him…who could that be?

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**a/n: YOSHA!!! I'm done with this chapter! Now, (pokes reader) Review! Please don't flame! The next chapter will come REALLY soon because, huh, I finished it then realized I hadn't uploaded this one!**


	3. Trigger

**Lookit...double update...i'm really stupid...**

**Disclaimer: I own everything except the scenes…you'll find out later…BUT I DO OWN THE BOOK!!! (not really, but I wish I did…hmmm…that gives me an idea….)**

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The next day, it rained. It was one of those autumn showers that seemed to dump buckets and not let up. Roy gave up his plans to go back into Birmingham and instead spent a good part of the morning to do the unpacking he had been putting off for the past few days. After (what seemed like) hours of labor, he folded up his empty duffle and stowed it under his bed. He snatched up a plastic bag full of toiletries off the desk and headed to the bathroom down the hall.

When he headed down the stairs, he was stopped by Riza who was lugging a pile of clean sheets in the opposite direction.

"Roy?"

"Yup?"

"Are you planning to go out again today?"

"Nah, I think it's raining too hard. I'll probably catch up on some work"

"Alright then. Is it okay if I clean in your room?" she asked cheerily

"Sure, go on ahead."

"There's food on the table. Now shoo!" she teased.

"Okay, okay…" he grinned.

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When Riza entered her newest tenant's room, she nearly turned around and walked back out. It looked like a twister had somehow isolated itself inside the room and ripped up his bag, distributing the contents over every surface. Riza sighed and set to work.

When she had straightened up most of the room, Riza stumbled across a small black holster tucked halfway beneath the bed. Incased in it was a little pistol, fully loaded. When she removed the pistol from it's case, it fell perfectly into the crook in her hand as if it had a mind of its own.

She flicked the safety, surprised at herself for knowing what exactly that was. Of the memories that she had left of her father, one of the sharpest was of him practicing his stance and demonstrating to her younger self how to shoot.

Suddenly, she was overcome by a wave of dizziness. She sank to her knees and lent forward to steady herself. Different scenes flashed before her eyes. They all primarily focused on a woman with blond hair in a blue uniform. Riza inwardly gasped. It was her, but, at the same time, it wasn't her. Riza caught glimpses of her girlfriends and some other men she didn't know. And then there was Roy. He appeared more times than she could count. In that uniform, in normal clothes, in dress suits, even once in a fire hydrant costume. All of a sudden, one scene became more distinct than the others. Her 'other' self was in a shooting stance, pumping lead into a small target at the other end of the shooting hall. The fury radiating out from her was almost tangible. Roy strolled past a window on the wall of the room, arm-in-arm with a young woman who was giggling and blushing lightly. As quick as it had come, the picture was gone. In it's place was another. The woman was doing paperwork calmly in a room with the unfamiliar men she had glimpsed earlier. The door slammed open and in waltzed Edward, Winry's fiancée. Well, someone who looked exactly like him. A large suit of armor timidly followed the young man, holding a small orange and yellow cat. 'Hayate' made his presence known by yapping his tail off at the intruder. Then, again, it was gone. With it left the hundreds of scenes that had entered her mind without warning.

Still clutching her head, Riza scrambled to her feet and dropped the pistol she was holding. Abandoning her task, Riza scurried out of Roy's room and down the stairs, nursing her throbbing cranium and on the hunt for a nice cold glass of water.

The pistol was left forgotten on the floor.

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Roy sighed. He had nothing to do. He didn't want to disturb his landlady; he had a feeling he was in for a scolding. He had done the best he could unpacking, but people said that he methods of cleaning were…unorthodox, to say the least. He wandered around the house, looking for some sort of entertainment.

There it was. A little library, tucked in an alcove between the dining room and the front sitting room. Bookcases lined the walls, each stuffed to the brim. In the center of the room was a comfy-looking recliner, situated next to a small table with a heavy volume left open on it. Roy brushed his fingers over the pages, surprised to find a fine layer of dust coating the book. He carefully picked it up, blowing the remaining grime onto the floor. Flipping it over, he read the cover: _**Alchemy: The Lost Science Unmasked, Uncovered, and Deciphered**_. _Interesting,_ Roy mused to himself. He flipped through the first few pages. Peppering them were polygons and other shapes overlaid to create arrays and diagrams that made absolutely no sense to the raven-haired Colonel at all. What he failed to notice, though, was that a pair of white gloves slipped out from in between two pages near the back of the book and fell to the floor. As Roy made to put the book back, he finally caught sight of the gloves. As he picked them up, he was suddenly overcome with a wave of nausea that caused him to lose his grip of the book and sent it tumbling to the ground in a cloud of dust.

He felt light-headed, and his vision tunneled. When he opened his eyes, he was no longer in the library. Riza Falconwing poked her head around the side of the door leading into his office. "Sir?" she asked hesitantly, noticing his bewildered expression.

"Ms. Falconwing?"

"No…who is that? One of your girlfriends, I suppose. Anyways, the Fuhrer is coming around to inspect the office so you'd better get a start on that paperwork-"

Roy cut off the woman before she could say any more, "Wait, hold on a second, since when is there a 'Fuhrer'? And you're _not_ Riza Falcon-" He stopped, overcome by the sight of the mound of files threatening to spill off of his (unfortunate) desk.

Before the woman could even react to his questions, he felt himself grow dizzy and slump onto the desk in front of him. Presently, he became aware that the hard mahogany desk had morphed into a soft, upholstered recliner. Then the pain caught up. His head erupted as if a chorus of nails scraped down infinite chalkboards in the very inner cavity of his ears, making his brain writhe in agony and staying upright nearly impossible. So enough, he had recovered his wits and was able to return to his feet. Aching for a drink and an ice pack, he stumbled out of the library and towards the kitchen.

The gloves were left forgotten on the floor.

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**a/n: You like? I know that some might not, but just put up with it. The 'Amestris' bits don't really play any big parts in the later story, and may not even show up again… And yes….Roy doesn't like paperwork. The chapters will get longer! Once I actually get into the plot! I'm taking suggestions for pseudo-dates and run-ins……**

'**Kanashimi o Yasashisa ni' is stuck in my head…3****rd**** Naruto opening….NEED Linkin Park!!!**


	4. Tupperware and Libraries

**YEAH!!! I made my deadline! (Thanksgiving if you wanted to know) Thanks to all who reviewed, and I hope you enjoy this part of Roy and Riza's saga of hope, sadness, and romance! Jk ; )**

**Ps: I know nothing of daily life in Germany, so this story will take on any and all American/Australia mannerisms I have! (Which is pretty much means it is how I live…or something close to it…okay, I don't know any 'Riza Falconwings' or 'Roy Stallions'…)**

**Disclaimer: Hmm, if I were Hiromu Arakawa: 1. Ed and Winry wouldn't be in opposite dimensions, 2. Roy and Riza would have been together since the first ep/chapter, and 3. I wouldn't be wasting my time writing fanfics that could just be side stories…like Kakashi Gaiden! For Naruto, of course, not FMA…What, you really thought I was being serious…I would put Kakashi's childhood as chapter 77? Even when it's in a whole different universe where ninja Justus and refrigerators exist in harmony? Ah…but Amestris is a parallel universe too…Touché…**

**Ps: **_**Nakama**_** means friend, but more than that; it signifies a strong, strong bond with that person.**

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The rest of the week continued in this fashion. Roy would spend the day wandering around Birmingham, complete with ogling from random women as he walked down the street. He would pop into the internet café to reply to a steady stream of emails from is subordinates (primarily Josie Havoc, who complained about not having anything to do…but as he reminded her, there was paperwork aplenty). After he returned to Falconwings for dinner, Roy would find himself back in that library that fascinated him on his third day away, although he didn't stray anywhere near those gloves; they lay on the floor where he had dropped them. The second time he sat down on the reading chair, random book in hand, Riza had noticed the light on and the usually closed door ajar, and went to investigate.

Her eyes widened when she saw none other than her newest tenant, Roy Stallion, lounging in her fathers reading chair, avidly reading a dusty science journal.

"Umm, Mr. Staillion?" she stuttered, her shock quickly morphing into fear for her father's precious documents.

Reading the look of fear on her face, Roy hastily stood and apologized. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know this place was off limits, I was just looking around, I'm so sorry-"

"No, no, it's alright." She felt the wave of fear dissipate, replaced by sheer longing. "These were my father's books." She ran a hand along the closest self, gazing at the titles, "He used to collect them, before he…before he died."

"Look, again, I'm really sorry-"

"No, don't worry about it. You're the first one to come in here for years. I don't mind. Just…just treat them with respect, okay?"

Roy nodded silently and sat back down as Riza left the room. He didn't resume reading though; instead he gazed into space, thinking about these books.

Riza walked back out into the hallway, but paused before she turned into her room. It was true Roy was the first to enter the library in the past two years, but it wasn't because no one was curious about it. Many a traveler had inquired about the contents of the locked room at the end of the hall, but Riza had always put them off with a generic answer of 'storage' or 'another guest bedroom'. She hadn't even told Winry or Gracia, her two closest friends.

Instead of going into her bedroom, Riza turned around and ended up in the kitchen. Acting on a whim, she whipped up a cup of dark, strong coffee and carried it out the door, down the hallway, and into the library. Placing it down on the table beside the chair, Riza gave Roy a small smile and headed off to bed. Roy kept his eyes glued to the place she had stood, even after the shadows had engulfed her salmon-colored robe.

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Soon it was Saturday. Riza relished the holiday and spent the afternoon whipping up her famous stir-fry, storing half in a Tupperware container in the double-door fridge. Picking up the other container, she hopped into her old Volvo and drove into town, parking in front of a clean, yellow flat with the words 'Stoner Mechanics' painted boldly on a wooden sign flapping in the wind outside.

Trumping up the stairs, Riza could hear the voices of her friends calling out in greeting and merriment.

"Riza!" Gracia exclaimed, cheeks flushed, raised her half-empty wine glass in greeting.

Winry welcomed her friend into her home, pulling her into the kitchen were everyone else had already gathered. Laughing and chatting, Riza unwrapped her stir-fry and let her Nakama dig in.

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After a few hours of laughing, chatting, and generally being merry, the women crashed on the couch in Winry's adjoining living room. Pulling open another bag of chips, Maria smirked and addressed Winry.

"So, Winny, when's the wedding?"

Winry blushed and started fiddling with her ring. "We were planning to have it in a few months. Edward wanted to have it earlier, but it really takes a while to plan a wedding. I've always fancied a fall wedding…Anyways, I went out with Ed to this High School Reunion where I got to meet his brother…you know, Alphonse? Ed's _always_ talking about how much fun they had as kids. Anyways, Alphonse is dating this girl I knew in _middle school_. Rose, do you remember her Cathrine? Noa's sister? Noa was there and started _flirting_ with Ed, even though I was still _right beside him!_ He brushed her off, of course. That's what's so great about him; he always comes back to me and 'us'…" Winry looked thoughtful for a second, then abruptly jumped up and scurried into the darkness that was the hall to her bedroom. After a few crashes, bangs, and the sound of metal against metal, Winry staggered back out, a lugging a small green suitcase. She sat down and carefully unzipped the top.

"Edward gave me this and told me he thought I would want it more than he would. He told me his… great? Yes, great-grandfather lost limbs in some war, and when he died he passed on his prosthetics to his son, who passed them on to his son, who passed them to _his_ son, who passed them to Edward. I haven't had the chance to look at them yet…" She gasped.

Inside, nestled in foam, were two metal limbs: an arm and a leg, much too angular to belong to any woman. Running her hand over the leg, Winry delicately removed it from its mold and hoisted it onto her lap. She felt it's every contour and dent. She knew, as every person who works with metal knows, that these limbs were carefully crafted, and loved by the recipient. Feeling an alien series of scratches on the base of the foot, Winry turned it ninety degrees and inspected the tiny groves. What she read made her gasp a second time.

"'To Edward, with love, from _Winry._'…there's no way…"

"Well, now then." Riza started, " I have to get moving. Roy will be waiting-" She abruptly silenced herself with a hand across her mouth, but too little, too late. Maria, Gracia, Catherine, and Sheska's ears had perked and caught every word, identical devilish grins spreading across their faces. Riza inwardly cursed her alcohol consumption and the effect it had on her tongue.

"Sooo, who is this 'Roy'?" Catherine asked slyly.

Riza blushed unconsciously, waving off the question. "Just one of my tenants."

"Just? Is he cute?" Maria giggled, but being the married woman she was, didn't say anything further.

To escape from any further interrogation, Riza grabbed her purse and slipped out the door.

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Unlocking the front door, Riza let out an exasperated sigh. She had left her Tupperware at Winry's place. Deciding to pick it up tomorrow, Riza sighed again and headed down the hall towards her room.

Taking a detour, she veered over towards the library, where a line of light outlined the closed door. Roy had fallen asleep on the chair, book still resting open on his lap. Riza dug through the linen closet in the hall and pulled out a faded old quilt. Trying not to disturb him to much, she pulled the book out of his hand, shoved in a bookmark, and laid it down on the table, already crammed with books of all sizes and genres.

She carefully spread the quilt over the sleeping man, trying not stare at his handsome face. The eye patch did not take from his glamour, but instead, intensified it, adding an air of mysteriousness to him. His dark hair framed his face and, even when she tried to ignore it, she could feel the rippling muscles of his arms through the blanket. Riza could see the looks on her friends' faces if the could see her now. Dreading the day they would meet the man whose name escaped on Riza's usually severely tight tongue, said landlady tiptoed out of the room and into her own living quarters.

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**Hem, hem. Short, yes, rushed, yes, proofread,…maybe? Expect more time skips because I am too lazy to write little filler scenes that have nothing to do with the overall plot. Yes, for all you Edwin fans out there, I will write the wedding, and some **_**major**_** drama is coming up! Thank you to all my wonderful readers out there and please **_**REVIEW!**_

**Can anyone tell me how to do those line-break things? Me ishn't in the know!**


	5. Trigger 2

Trigger 2:

Hola, everybody! Welcome back to 'Falcons and Stallions'! After a long wait, this new chapter is up and ready to read! I am also writing a Bleach fic, and because that one is really intense and uses up most of my energy, I want to finish it before I start any others. Anyways, I finally got my creative juices flowing again, and was able to pump out this next chapter. Piscesgirl, this one's for you!

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Riza narrowed her eyes in concentration. Beneath her fingers, her knife carved swiftly through soft flesh. Juices dried on her steady fingers, hardening into shells, only to crack and fall away when she flexed to uncramp them. Riza finished slicing her carrot, and, tossing the wedges into a nearby salad bowl, took her knife to a head of lettuce.

From the hallway sounded the thunder of a pair of feet descending the stairs. The landlady smiled absentmindedly as her thoughts strayed to her only remaining tenant. Now, in the tourist off-season, it was nice to have another person to keep her company in her, frankly speaking, very large, very empty house. And the fact that Roy Stallion was so… unexpectedly… attractive… helped, even if it was a little distracting. Still he was kind, and helped out around the house.

Suddenly, there was a crash from down the hallway, causing Riza to nick her thumb with her vegetable knife. She inspected the cut; blood was dripping from her thumb and slipping down her wrist. Before she could reach for a paper towel to staunch the flow, a familiar wave of nausea swept through her. Riza sank to her knees and leaned heavily against the wood-veneered cabinets before she was enveloped in blackness.

_**Bang! Bang!**_

_The click of used shells roused Riza. 'Oi! Hawkeye!' a voice called out from somewhere to her right, 'This is no time to sleep! Another wave of Ishvalians has appeared from the west! I just heard that an Alchemist is being sent out! We have to help him out, soldiers!' A chorus of tired voices replied with half-hearted "Yes, sir"s. Riza joined in, somewhat dazedly. Ishvalians?_

_When she finally opened her eyes, Riza had hut then almost immediately. The dusty air irritated her eyes, so she made to rub them with her gloved hand - wait. _When did I put on gloves?_ She wondered._

_Riza glanced around. Either way beside her, snipers in blue canvas uniforms fired with a practiced grace down through archer's slits in the wall before them. Riza felt herself raise her own rifle to her shoulder, aim, and fire into a militia of dark-skinned men. Again and again, soldiers fell at her hand, until her clip was empty. But… horror wasn't anywhere close to the emotion that was feeling, much to her surprise. No, the only thing flowing through her veins, keeping her aim true, was sheer longing. The 'her' in this other place, this other Riza, was so deeply in love with someone that she could kill hundreds of living, breathing human beings for him without feeling a thing. This Riza was numb with devotion. _

_A dark-haired man rushed out onto the battlefield, flanked by a small heard of gunmen. They settled down behind one of the barricades, popping their rifles over the wall occasionally to fire into the fray of Ishvalian militia. Finally, the Alchemist rose, pausing, and then snapped a gloved hand. In a flash of flame, the red-eyes enemies had been reduced to ash. _

_Riza focused in on his somewhat familiar face. He himself turned up to look in her direction. Their eyes seemed to lock. A pang in her gut confirmed his identity._

"_Roy…" She breathed in disbelief. Riza could feel herself being pulled away; her sight was growing blurry, and she didn't seem to have as much control of her body- the body she was inhabiting. There was one last eruption of flame before she was sucked away, the blackness tugging at her with little hands._

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Roy Stallion couldn't believe that he had only been boarding at Falconwing's for little over three weeks; it already felt like his second home. He yawned widely, blindly stumbling down the stairs and making his way into the library and plopped heavily down into one of the lounges.

As Roy swung his hand out over the side table to locate his latest read, it accidentally clipped a porcelain lamp, sending it crashing to the floor.

Roy, suddenly awake, scrambled to his knees. As he attempted to sweep up the shards of glass, he felt a sharp pain sear through his thumb. He watched as a bubble welled up from his cut, bursting and sending precious lifeblood cascading down onto his palm.

Then Roy felt the inexplicable nausea descend upon him again. The last thing he though before the world went black was, '_I don't remember being a hemaphobe.'_

_**Bang! Bang!**_

_Shots rang through Roy's head. Explosions rocked the ground beneath his feet. His hand was held out, his fingers poised to snap. He did so, to experiment, and a flash of sparks showered down to the dusty ground. Focusing on space far enough away, he imagined oxygen flooding to the spot, and snapped again. A burning inferno hovered for a moment, then flickered out, its plume of smoke drifting up into the slate grey sky. _

'_Major!' a stranger called out, 'More Ishvalians from the west! The snipers are being informed, but we don't know how long they can hold them off.'_

'_We have to protect our families from those red-eyed monsters!' There was a roar of assent, and a small group of armed soldiers swept out onto the battlefield, dragging the somewhat befuddled raven-haired "Major" along with them. The militia ducked behind a wall of sand-bags, taking turns to fire into the incoming Ishval soldiers. _

'_Come on, Major Mustang!' On of the younger soldiers urged quietly, 'Show us what you can do!'_

_Still unsure, Roy stood up halfway. He immediately envisioned atoms of oxygen swarm to surround the tanned enemies. Disgusted by his knowledge of what would happen next, the raven-haired man squeezed his eyes shut and snapped. Even through the cry of explosions, Roy could hear the screams of agony coming from the blazing men. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up; he could feel a pair of eyes fixed boring holes through his back. The man turned, and found the eyes. They belonged to one of the snipers, shining through the acher's slit window. Roy recognized them: he had seen them before, but couldn't put his finger on where._

_Then it hit him: Riza Falconwing. His blond, beautiful landlady was laying on her stomach, dusty and tired, sniping down the oncoming Ishbalians. _

_Before he could ponder any further, Roy felt himself being pulled back into darkness. He slipped away silently, letting the hunger return him to his own life._

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Riza felt relieved at once when she felt the familiarity of occupying her own body. All at once, her gut was weighed down with inexplicable guilt and grief; she had killed someone. And not just some_one,_ but maybe tens of innocent people whom she had never met, let alone had any chance to find offence against. Her heart twisted in ways Riza had not though possible, and a strange, sick feeling burrowed through her gut.

She staggered to her feet and hobbled out into the hall, only to fall into Roy's waiting arms.

Roy was feeling slightly ill as well, though not to Riza's extent. His face was not ashen, and he didn't collapse like a bag of bones after ten or so steps. Speechless and shocked, Roy did the only thing he could and enveloped Riza in his arms.

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